FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE USPS National Contact: Mark Saunders July 23, 2009 (O) 202-268-6524 (C) 202-320-0782 [email protected] Biloxi: Beth Barnett (O) 615-885-9394 (C) 615-202-4992 [email protected] usps.com/news Release No. 09-062 Stamps Honor Lighthouses That Stood Defiant to Gulf Coast Hurricanes Images Based on Photos Taken Year Following Wrath of Katrina, Rita and Wilma High-resolution images of the stamps are available for media use only by emailing [email protected] WASHINGTON — Five lighthouses that withstood the fury of devastating hurricanes — in some cases while partially submerged — will stand tall on postage with the issuance of the Gulf Coast Lighthouses commemorative stamps. Available nationwide today, the 44-cent First-Class stamps, issued in sheets of 20, depict the Matagorda Island (TX), Sabine Pass (LA), Biloxi (MS), Sand Island (AL) and Fort Jefferson (FL) lighthouses. The dedication ceremony took place at the Biloxi Lighthouse under conditions in stark contrast to 2005’s Hurricane Katrina when a 26-ft. storm surge engulfed Biloxi’s treasured landmark, placing nearly half of the 64-ft. tall structure underwater. Katrina’s surge in Mobile Bay rivaled to the size of a one-and-a-half story building near the Sand Island Lighthouse. That same year Hurricane Wilma’s 134 m.p.h. winds pushed the storm surge at the Fort Jefferson Lighthouse to nearly 14 feet. The Matagorda Island lighthouse, located near Post O’Conner, TX, defied Hurricane Rita and withstood a similar storm surge when Hurricane Carla made landfall in 1961. “Like all American lighthouses, the Gulf Coast lighthouses have a rich and colorful history,” said U.S. Postal Service Governor Katherine C. Tobin, while dedicating the stamps. “They stood witness to the best and the worst times in our nation. They led the way to safe harbors as they warned of dangerous coastlines. They welcomed ships carrying precious cargo and new citizens to a growing country, and they have been eyewitnesses to the ravages of the Civil War and withstood devastating storms. I hope communities near Biloxi, Matagorda Island, Sabine Pass, Sand Island and Fort Jefferson will experience the same sense of pride as the Postal Service when using these beautiful stamps to adorn their letters and packages.” Joining Tobin in dedicating the stamps were Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway, Biloxi Historian Emeritus Murella Powell, Alabama Lighthouse Association President Captain Hal Pierce (U.S. Navy, ret.) and U.S. Postal Service Southeast Area Vice President Terry Wilson. “Our lighthouse was halfway submerged during Katrina,” explained Mayor Holloway, “yet it still stands tall today as testament to the resilience of our community. She is our enduring landmark — our signature landmark. We are very proud the Postal Service chose the Biloxi lighthouse for this series.” “The Biloxi Lighthouse has been a symbol of maritime safety, hope and goodwill since it was constructed in 1848, and today stands proudly as an icon of Gulf Coast life,” said Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, who was unable to attend the event. “Since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 — the worst natural disaster in American history — the lighthouse has assumed an even greater role, symbolizing the indomitable spirit and determination of Gulf Coast residents to recover and rebuild bigger and better than ever. I want to thank the U.S. Postal Service for including the Biloxi Lighthouse in the new Gulf Coast Lighthouses stamp series, giving new recognition to an old friend." Stamp Artist Howard Koslow of Toms River, NJ, worked under the direction of Art Director Howard E. Pane of Delaplane, VA. Koslow based his artwork on photographs taken by Frank Sedlar of St. Louis, MI. Sedlar, a photographer whose primary income entails farming 500 acres in Michigan, recorded his images the year following 2005’s devastating hurricanes. Koslow also painted the five Pacific Lighthouses stamps issued in 2007, as well as the five stamps in the 1990 Lighthouses booklet, the Great Lakes Lighthouses stamps issued in 1995, and the 2003 Southeastern Lighthouses stamps. A special dedication ceremony took place took place today honoring the Ft. Jefferson Lighthouse at the Key West, FL, Post Office. A 10:30 a.m. CT ceremony takes place July 24 at the Bauer Community Center in Port Lavaca, TX, to commemorate the Matagorda Island lighthouse. # # # Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news. An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. To learn about the history of the Postal Service visit the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum: www.postalmuseum.si.edu. How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others, and place them in a larger envelope addressed to: Gulf Coast Lighthouses Stamps Postmaster 135 Main Street Biloxi, MS 39530-9998 After applying the first-day-of issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by Sept. 24, 2009. How to Order First-Day Covers Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800- STAMP-24 or writing to: Information Fulfillment Dept. 6270 U.S. Postal Service PO Box 219014 Kansas City, MO 64121-9014 Philatelic Products Share the beauty and history of a few of these noble structures with this set of 20 ready-to-mail cards with pre-printed postage bearing the images of the stamps. (Gulf Coast Lighthouses Premium Stamped Postal Cards (5 designs) — Item No. 464566, $14.95) Set of 10 ready-to-mail prestamped stationery sheets (Gulf Coast Lighthouses Premium Stamped Stationery (5 designs), item 464580, $15.95). Included are all five lighthouse designs. Postage is preprinted on the pre- mium stamped stationery. There are also four other philatelic products available for this stamp issue: 464563, First-Day Cover, set of five, Black Cancellation, $4.10. 464568, Digital Color Postmark, set of five, $7.50. 464591, Ceremony Program, $6.95. 464599, Cancellation Keepsake (5 Digital Color Postmarks w/Pane), $16.30. Visit this link to view and purchase the products: http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?storeId=10001&catalogId=1015 2&langId=- 1&pageSize=8&beginIndex=0&sType=AdvancedSearch&resultType=2&searchTerm=gulf+coast+lighthosue s&searchTermScope=4 Gulf Coast Lighthouses Background The U.S. Postal Service continues its popular series of lighthouse stamps by artist Howard Koslow with the 2009 issuance of five Gulf Coast Lighthouses stamps: Matagorda Island (TX), Sabine Pass (LA), Biloxi (MS), Sand Island (AL) and Fort Jefferson (FL). The Gulf Coast extends about 1,000 miles from Key West, FL, to Corpus Christi, TX. For more than 150 years, lighthouses have guided ships and other sailing vessels through this picturesque but dangerous stretch of water. Known as “hurricane alley,” the Gulf Coast weathers many powerful storms each year, including Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the region in 2005. In addition, the land along the coast is swampy and marshy in many places and given to erosion, making it doubly difficult for lighthouses to withstand heavy rains and winds. The five lighthouses featured on the stamps are some of the few that remain standing. Matagorda Island (TX) Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, Matagorda Island Lighthouse has stood proudly for more than a century on the northeast end of Matagorda Island in what is today Matagorda Island State Park and Wildlife Management Area near Port O’Connor, TX. Automated in 1956, the conical tower features black exterior paint and a solar-powered light. In 1847, Congress authorized funds to build a lighthouse on Matagorda Island so that vessels could sail safely through the bay to the port city of Indianola. Construction on the original iron lighthouse was completed in 1852 and a third-order Fresnel lens installed six years later. Damaged during the Civil War and threatened by erosion, the tower was soon dismantled. The new cast-iron lighthouse was built farther inland in 1873. Sabine Pass (LA) Construction on the lighthouse at Sabine (pronounced suh-BEEN) Pass, LA, was completed in 1856. Erected on soft, marshy ground, the octagonal tower features eight buttresses that stabilize the heavy brick structure and give it a distinct missile-like shape. Deactivated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1952, the lighthouse is currently closed to the public and its original third-order Fresnel lens has been removed. Since 2001, the Cameron Preservation Alliance, a nonprofit organization, has worked to preserve and restore the tower. Sabine Pass Lighthouse stands in southwest Louisiana at the point where the Sabine and Neches rivers meet and flow into the Gulf of Mexico.